What have you given up for FIRST?

[Matt Leese]

What have I given up? Like everyone else, lots of sleep (back in 2001 I actually had lots of trouble sleeping because of the stress from FIRST). Probably a couple thousand dollars spread out over 7 years. I've also lost a number of opportunities for various events. I missed a career fair at school one year because I was at a FIRST Regional (which limited my coop opportunities). I know I've missed skiing several times because of FIRST.

I'm sure I've missed other things but I tend to concentrate on what I've gained because of FIRST: lots of experience, knowledge of engineering outside my speciality, and finally lots of friends.

Matt

[MOEmaniac]

I've given up most of my social life and numerous ours of sleep. But building the bot and hangin with the team isn't a bad social life

[JoeXIII'007]

For FIRST, I've given up 5 weekdays for 6 weeks for a very good bot. It was well worth sacrificing the time and effort on something else other than my homework. :-) And I even got that stuff done!

Other stuff I gave up: Time with family, playing video games every day, afternoon naps (with the same amount of nightly sleep [7 hours]), and my overall daily schedule.

[crazyone]

Let's see
*money,
*sleep,
*food,
*gas for car, and
*brownie points w/ some teachers
(i would also include my sanity as mentioned by others, but i never had any to begin with. How can you lose something you never had to start?)

But on the other hand i did get more than i lost such as rewarding expriences and stories to tell.

[lagoonfreeze]

I have given up most of my free time and i have neglected my friends for the past three months. I swear to god i started to live at the shop

[kevin.li.rit]

Sanity.

[swando]

oh dear... over my 3 years of FIRST, ive given up
hundreds of hours of sleep.
a computer (suffered a brain aneurism mid-render)
a couple shirts at competition
thousands of dollars (team dues, mountain dew)
and a girlfriend actually... she didnt get the robots thing.

[kevin.li.rit]

Originally Posted by swando

oh dear... over my 3 years of FIRST, ive given up
hundreds of hours of sleep.
a computer (suffered a brain aneurism mid-render)
a couple shirts at competition
thousands of dollars (team dues, mountain dew)
and a girlfriend actually... she didnt get the robots thing.

I'm sure my sanity was priced slightly higher than those things.

[swando]

Originally Posted by Coffeeism

I'm sure my sanity was priced slightly higher than those things.

i wasnt attacking the value of your sanity, i was replying to the thread.

[kevin.li.rit]

Originally Posted by swando

i wasnt attacking the value of your sanity, i was replying to the thread.

I know, I was attacking the value of my own sanity.

[ElfMaster]

Sleep, grades, social life, food occasionally, sanity (if I ever had it) the usual. But my parents...

The first year we were in FIRST (2003), we had no where to work. So we worked in my garage... then my living room... We really took over the living and dining room. We pushed all the furniture to the side and did drilling, sawing, filing in there. It got to the point you didn't want to walk barefoot across the room, just like the garage.

So my mom gave up most of the house to robotics.

Of course this year we're restricted to the garage and a closet at school... she did give us the kitchen table to work on though.

[Melissa Nute]

grades

hours at work
sanity

wait...that really isn't too bad...meh

[shyra1353]

lets see ...
- sleep (who cares .. its overrated ...)
- school (1 bio class a week .. that is what i promised myself for build season!)
- soccer (not completely ... but partially)
- a job
- a social life (wahoo .. i get mine back in a few weeks !!!)
- didnt see my brother for a while ... that was weird
- and hopefully postponing surgery so i can go to nationals !!!!
- TV (missed my soaps and Survivor and Friends)

[Trinora]

Much money, sleep, countless hours of time, the month of October, a few points in every class, relaxation, laziness, a lot of my fears and inhibitions.. As some at regionals have found out (sorry), sleep, Any chance of getting off my caffine addiction ('sweet nectar thy name is Dew'), two birthday parties, conversation with friends and family ("Oh.. you do.. robots.. How.. interesting?"), weekends, dreamless sleep, sleep in general, computer addiction, liscence tests, homework.. mwhuahaha, doctor's appointments, my Wacom tablet (sigh), and several less than friendly friends.

However, I've gained friends in abundance, and FIRST has given me a sense of worth and pride nothing else has compared to.

[kevin.li.rit]

Originally Posted by Meli W.

grades

hours at work
sanity

wait...that really isn't too bad...meh

Bah! I lost my sanity FIRST!